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Lieutenant-General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was normall ...
, known by his pen name , was a Japanese Army Surgeon general officer, translator,
novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living wage, living writing novels and other fiction, while other ...
,
poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...
and father of famed author Mari Mori. He obtained his
medical license A medical license is an occupational license that permits a person to legally practice medicine. In most countries, a person must have a medical license bestowed either by a specified government-approved professional association or a government ...
at a very young age and introduced translated
German language German (, ) is a West Germanic language in the Indo-European language family, mainly spoken in Western Europe, Western and Central Europe. It is the majority and Official language, official (or co-official) language in Germany, Austria, Switze ...
literary works to the Japanese public. Mori Ōgai also was considered the first to successfully express the art of western poetry in Japanese. He wrote many works and created many writing styles. '' The Wild Geese'' (1911–1913) is considered his major work. After his death, he was considered one of the leading writers who modernized Japanese literature. His continued obstinacy to recognize
beriberi Thiamine deficiency is a medical condition of low levels of thiamine (vitamin B1). A severe and chronic form is known as beriberi. The name beriberi was possibly borrowed in the 18th century from the Sinhalese phrase (bæri bæri, “I canno ...
as a thiamine deficiency led to the death of more than 27,000 Japanese soldiers.


Biography


Early life

Mori was born as in Tsuwano, Iwami Province (present-day
Shimane Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Shimane Prefecture is the List of Japanese prefectures by population, second-least populous prefecture of Japan at 665,205 (February 1, 2021) and has a ge ...
). His family were hereditary physicians to the ''
daimyō were powerful Japanese magnates, feudal lords who, from the 10th century to the early Meiji era, Meiji period in the middle 19th century, ruled most of Japan from their vast hereditary land holdings. They were subordinate to the shogun and no ...
'' of the Tsuwano Domain. As the eldest son, it was assumed that he would carry on the family tradition; therefore he was sent to attend classes in the
Confucian classics The Chinese classics or canonical texts are the works of Chinese literature authored prior to the establishment of the imperial Qin dynasty in 221 BC. Prominent examples include the Four Books and Five Classics in the Neo-Confucian traditi ...
at the domain academy, and took private lessons in ''
rangaku ''Rangaku'' (Kyūjitai: , ), and by extension , is a body of knowledge developed by Japan through its contacts with the Dutch enclave of Dejima, which allowed Japan to keep abreast of Western technology and medicine in the period when the countr ...
'' ("Dutch learning", and by extension "Western learning") and Dutch. In 1872, after the
Meiji Restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored Imperial House of Japan, imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Althoug ...
and the abolition of the domains, the Mori family relocated to
Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...
. Mori stayed at the residence of
Nishi Amane was a Japanese philosopher. He studied law and economics in the Netherlands. He became a political advisor to Tokugawa Yoshinobu before and after the Meiji Restoration. He served as a bureaucrat in the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Educati ...
, in order to receive tutoring in German, which was the primary language for medical education at the time. In 1874, he was admitted to the government medical school (the predecessor for
Tokyo Imperial University The University of Tokyo (, abbreviated as in Japanese and UTokyo in English) is a public university, public research university in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. Founded in 1877 as the nation's first modern university by the merger of several Edo peri ...
's Medical School), and graduated in 1881 at the age of 19, the youngest person ever to be awarded a medical license in Japan. It was also during this time that he developed an interest in literature, reading extensively from the late-Edo period popular novels, and taking lessons in
Chinese poetry Chinese poetry is poetry written, spoken, or chanted in the Chinese language, and a part of the Chinese literature. While this last term comprises Classical Chinese, Standard Chinese, Mandarin Chinese, Yue Chinese, and other historical and vernac ...
and literature.


Early career

After graduation, Mori enlisted in the
Imperial Japanese Army The Imperial Japanese Army (IJA; , ''Dai-Nippon Teikoku Rikugun'', "Army of the Greater Japanese Empire") was the principal ground force of the Empire of Japan from 1871 to 1945. It played a central role in Japan’s rapid modernization during th ...
as a medical officer, hoping to specialize in military medicine and
hygiene Hygiene is a set of practices performed to preserve health. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), "Hygiene refers to conditions and practices that help to maintain health and prevent the spread of diseases." Personal hygiene refer ...
. He was commissioned as a deputy surgeon (
lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...
) in 1882. Mori was sent by the Army to study in Germany (
Leipzig Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...
,
Dresden Dresden (; ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; , ) is the capital city of the States of Germany, German state of Saxony and its second most populous city after Leipzig. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, 12th most p ...
,
Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...
, and
Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
) from 1884 to 1888. During this time, he also developed an interest in
European literature Western literature, also known as European literature, is the literature written in the context of Western culture in the languages of Europe, and is shaped by the periods in which they were conceived, with each period containing prominent weste ...
. As a matter of trivia, Mori Ōgai is the first Japanese known to have ridden on the
Orient Express The ''Orient Express'' was a long-distance passenger luxury train service created in 1883 by the Belgian company ''Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits'' (CIWL) that operated until 2009. The train traveled the length of continental Europe, w ...
. One of his major accomplishments was his ability to create works using a style of "translation" that he obtained from his experience in European culture. In his stay in Germany, Ogai sometimes encountered situations where he expressed his
patriotism Patriotism is the feeling of love, devotion, and a sense of attachment to one's country or state. This attachment can be a combination of different feelings for things such as the language of one's homeland, and its ethnic, cultural, politic ...
. There was this one time that he started a public controversy against a German geologist, Dr Edmund Naumann. Dr. Naumann gave a presentation entitled "Japan" at a lecture in which he criticized Japan. In short, his criticism was that the opening of Japan to international relations was not a voluntary act, but was the result of foreign pressure. After the lecture, Naumann was said to have made a number of jokes critical of Japan in conversation with other scholars. Ogai wrote in his "Doitsu Nikki" that he made a speech to refute Naumann's comments shortly. Since it was a social occasion, the
controversy Controversy (, ) is a state of prolonged public dispute or debate, usually concerning a matter of conflicting opinion or point of view. The word was coined from the Latin '' controversia'', as a composite of ''controversus'' – "turned in an op ...
seemed to have been settled, but the debate was continued when Dr. Naumann published a column in the newspaper "Allgemeine Zeitung". According to "Wakaki hi no Mori Ogai" by Keiichiro Kobori, the controversy was focused on eight points including the origin of the Japanese people and the treatment of the Ainu people, food and clothing, public health, manners and customs, the influence of oil painting techniques on Japanese painting, Buddhism and myth, the effectiveness of the modernization movement, and the future of Japan. Of these, "the pros and cons of the modernization movement in Japan" and "the future of Japan" were the major points. Naumann pointed out that Japan opened its door to the international relations from the external forces and had easily and superficially accepted Western civilization. Furthermore, that the Japanese themselves tend to disregard the traditional culture under the justification of the modernization was his argument. Ogai made a
counterargument In reasoning and argument mapping, a counterargument is an objection to an objection. A counterargument can be used to rebut an objection to a premise, a main contention or a lemma. Synonyms of counterargument may include rebuttal, reply, count ...
that the introduction of Western civilization was natural, rational, and spontaneous, and important point is to identify what to westernize and what to preserve as traditional Japanese culture. Ogai carried out this controversy all in German. After four years in Germany, Ogai felt that the realization of the mental revolution of the Japanese was his mission to be accomplished. Pushed by this idea, Ogai at first started to spend time on enlightening the public and other intellectuals by introducing the aesthetic scientific method which he obtained in the West. This took various forms such as journal articles and debates in the newspaper section. His attitude around this time period is often regarded as "belligerent and combative". This attitude emerged out of his passion to establish the basis for criticism and the principle of induction method. Given the background of the time where a lot of policies and ideas were based on the idealistic theory, Ogai's enthusiasm could be fully explained. One of the representative examples which reflected the radical westernization took place in the western style building called " Rokumeikan", located in Chiyoda-ku in Tokyo. Rokumei-kan was established in 1888 by the then minister of foreign affair, Inoue Kaoru for the diplomatic purpose. His policy faced strong criticism by the right-wing nationalists and Ogai was one of those critics to the westernization without solid foundation. Ogai had dealt with various fields including urban planning, dietetics, and also lifestyle itself. His activity was supported by other nationalists and conservatives and he came to play an important role as a public educator. Upon his return to Japan, he was promoted to surgeon first class (captain) in May 1885; after graduating from the Army War College in 1888, he was promoted to senior surgeon, second class (lieutenant colonel) in October 1889. Now a high-ranking army doctor, he pushed for a more scientific approach to medical research, even publishing a
medical journal A medical journal is a peer-reviewed scientific journal that communicates medical information to physicians, other health professionals. Journals that cover many medical specialties are sometimes called general medical journals. History The first ...
out of his own funds. His view on the modernization of Japan was distinctive from other intellectuals in the point where he was very critical to the absence of the rationale basis in the scientific field, especially medicine. That the intellectuals kept importing only the fruit of the science, not the scientific method itself was the source of concern for Ōgai because he believed that the understanding of the essence of the Western value, for specifically, the manner and the procedures of the scientific method, was vital so that in the future Japan can produce the original works of science, not the borrowings of it. This view represented his aspiration, the realization of the mental revolution of Japanese, which he had been considering after the abroad experience. As a person who studied in West, he felt the responsibility to foster the process of the modernization as if it was his mission. Another concern regarding the process of the modernization was the potential that the reckless importation of Western culture could bring the destruction to the Japanese traditions, which Ōgai found in a sense unique and original to the West. In this sense, Ōgai was a conservative who knew the value of Japanese culture in contrast to other Japanese who were in favor of radical Westernization. This attitude was reflected in his journal articles. For example, one of his works, ''Nihon Kaoku ron'' (essay on urban planning), he argued that the urban development shall not be driven by the idealistic theories in which the primary objective was to imitate the Western style, but to be processed based on the scientific evidence. As a result of his contribution, he was considered as a public educator at that time. This was, however, a source of trouble in later stage because his belligerent style was unwelcomed by his superiors. One of the reasons of his transfer to Kokura was of this conflict between a conservative administrative body and a progressive scientist. Meanwhile, he also attempted to revitalize modern
Japanese literature Japanese literature throughout most of its history has been influenced by cultural contact with neighboring Asian literatures, most notably China and its literature. Early texts were often written in pure Classical Chinese or , a Chinese-Japa ...
and published his own literary journal (''Shigarami sōshi'', 1889–1894) and his own book of poetry (''Omokage'', 1889). In his writings, he was an "anti-realist", asserting that literature should reflect the emotional and spiritual domain. The short story " The Dancing Girl" (, , 1890) described an affair between a Japanese man and a German woman. He married two times. His first wife was Toshiko Akamatsu, a daughter of Admiral Noriyoshi Akamatsu and a close friend of
Nishi Amane was a Japanese philosopher. He studied law and economics in the Netherlands. He became a political advisor to Tokugawa Yoshinobu before and after the Meiji Restoration. He served as a bureaucrat in the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Educati ...
. The couple married in 1889 and had a son who was born in 1890, Oto (from
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
''Otto''), before divorcing later that same year. The divorce was under acrimonious circumstances that irreparably ended his friendship with Nishi. His second wife, whom he married in 1902, was Shigeko Arakawa. They had four children: Mari (Marie, 1903–1987), Furitsu (Fritz, 1907–1908), who died in childhood, Annu (Anne, 1909–1998), and Rui (Louis, 1911–1991). Both daughters, Mari and Annu, as well his son Rui, became writers. In May 1893, Mori was promoted to senior surgeon, first class (colonel).


Later career

At the start of the
First Sino-Japanese War The First Sino-Japanese War (25 July 189417 April 1895), or the First China–Japan War, was a conflict between the Qing dynasty of China and the Empire of Japan primarily over influence in Joseon, Korea. In Chinese it is commonly known as th ...
of 1894–1895, Mori was sent to
Manchuria Manchuria is a historical region in northeast Asia encompassing the entirety of present-day northeast China and parts of the modern-day Russian Far East south of the Uda (Khabarovsk Krai), Uda River and the Tukuringra-Dzhagdy Ranges. The exact ...
and, the following year, to
Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
. In February 1899, he was appointed head of the Army Medical Corps with the rank of surgeon major-general and was based in
Kokura is an ancient Jōkamachi, castle town and the center of modern Kitakyushu, Japan. Kokura is also the name of the Kokura Station, penultimate station on the southbound San'yō Shinkansen line, which is owned by JR West. Ferries connect Kokura ...
,
Kyūshū is the third-largest island of Japan's four main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands (i.e. excluding Okinawa and the other Ryukyu (''Nansei'') Islands). In the past, it has been known as , and . The historical regio ...
. His transfer was because of his responses to fellow doctors and his criticism about their fields of research in the Japanese Medical Journal of which he was editor.Hopper, Helen M. "Mori Ogai's Response to Suppression of Intellectual Freedom, 1909–12." Monumenta Nipponica 29, no. 4 (1974): 381–413. doi:10.2307/2383893. In 1902, he was reassigned to Tokyo. He was attached to a division in the
Russo-Japanese War The Russo-Japanese War (8 February 1904 – 5 September 1905) was fought between the Russian Empire and the Empire of Japan over rival imperial ambitions in Manchuria and the Korean Empire. The major land battles of the war were fought on the ...
, based out of Hiroshima. Although Ogai was a fine artist, it is impossible to understand his thoughts on the war since he did not leave any personal document about it. This is because of his position in the army. In 1907, Mori was promoted to Surgeon General of the Army (lieutenant general), the highest post within the Japanese Army
Medical Corps A medical corps is generally a military branch or staff corps, officer corps responsible for medical care for serving military personnel. Such officers are typically military physicians. List of medical corps The following organizations are exam ...
, and became head of the Imperial Fine Arts Academy, which is now the Japan Art Academy. Under his leadership, an estimated 27,000 soldiers in the army died of
beriberi Thiamine deficiency is a medical condition of low levels of thiamine (vitamin B1). A severe and chronic form is known as beriberi. The name beriberi was possibly borrowed in the 18th century from the Sinhalese phrase (bæri bæri, “I canno ...
during the
Russo-Japanese War The Russo-Japanese War (8 February 1904 – 5 September 1905) was fought between the Russian Empire and the Empire of Japan over rival imperial ambitions in Manchuria and the Korean Empire. The major land battles of the war were fought on the ...
; in contrast, almost no sailors died. In 1908, the
Diet of Japan , transcription_name = ''Kokkai'' , legislature = 215th Session of the National Diet , coa_pic = Flag of Japan.svg , house_type = Bicameral , houses = , foundation=29 November 1890(), leader1_type ...
appointed Mori as the head of the Beriberi Research Council to investigate the causes of the disease. In this position, he led a faction of doctors from
Tokyo Imperial University The University of Tokyo (, abbreviated as in Japanese and UTokyo in English) is a public university, public research university in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. Founded in 1877 as the nation's first modern university by the merger of several Edo peri ...
who asserted that beriberi was an endemic disease caused by an unknown pathogen, ultimately ensuring that the Japanese army lagged significantly behind research worldwide and even within the nation. In 1884, naval surgeon Takaki Kanehiro concluded his experiments showing that the disease was a
thiamine Thiamine, also known as thiamin and vitamin B1, is a vitamin – an Nutrient#Micronutrients, essential micronutrient for humans and animals. It is found in food and commercially synthesized to be a dietary supplement or medication. Phosp ...
deficiency caused by sailors' diet of polished white rice; this advice had been adopted by the Japanese Navy by the time of Russo-Japanese War. In 1919, the council conducted its first experiments on vitamins; this was 35 years after Takaki's experimentation in the Navy and six years after Edward Bright Vedder convinced the Western scientific community that rice bran could treat beriberi. By 1926, the Nobel Prize had been awarded to
Christiaan Eijkman Christiaan Eijkman ( , , ; 11 August 1858 – 5 November 1930) was a Dutch physician and professor of physiology whose demonstration that beriberi is caused by poor diet led to the discovery of antineuritic vitamins (thiamine). Together with S ...
and Sir Frederick Hopkins for research on thiamine deficiency they had conducted in the late 19th century. He was appointed director of the Imperial Museum when he retired in 1916. Mori Ōgai then died of renal failure and pulmonary tuberculosis six years later, aged 60.


Literary work

Mori's first notable work is " The Dancing Girl" (, , 1890) a story chronicling the love affair between Ōta Toyotarō, a Japanese law student studying abroad in Berlin, and a German dancer, Elis. Toyotarō, recalling his experiences aboard a boat in
Saigon Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) ('','' TP.HCM; ), commonly known as Saigon (; ), is the most populous city in Vietnam with a population of around 14 million in 2025. The city's geography is defined by rivers and canals, of which the largest is Saigo ...
, writes that he came to Germany on a government scholarship, having been a model student in Japan. However, after he meets Elis, Toyotarō becomes subject to rumors from his Japanese colleagues, and is eventually dismissed from his government post. Toyotarō continues an impoverished life with Elis until the arrival of his old friend Aizawa Kenkichi, who is working for the government official Count Amakata. Soon after agreeing to travel to Russia with Aizawa and the Count, he learns of Elis' pregnancy. Upon Toyotarō's return, he decides to return to Japan with Count Amakata, abandoning Elis and their baby. Elis learns of Toyotarō's plans through Aizawa, and goes mad. Toyotarō ends his story by expressing resentment toward Aizawa despite his help. ''The Dancing Girl,'' according to literary scholar Tomiko Yoda, is generally regarded as one of the first works of Japanese literature to incorporate first-person narration in relation to modern modes of
subjectivity The distinction between subjectivity and objectivity is a basic idea of philosophy, particularly epistemology and metaphysics. Various understandings of this distinction have evolved through the work of countless philosophers over centuries. One b ...
. Both Japanese and English-language critics have extensively written on the story, beginning with a critique written by Ishibashi Ningetsu a month after the story's publication. Twentieth-century Japanese critiques generally focused on the development of narration of the self in the story, with Maeda Ai analyzing Toyotarō's narration in relation to his movement through Berlin's urban space. Komori Yōichi writes that Toyotarō, writing in Saigon, develops unique "divided selves" that mediate each other through the act of narration. English-language scholars like Christopher Hill have focused on the themes of
nationalism Nationalism is an idea or movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, it presupposes the existence and tends to promote the interests of a particular nation, Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: Theory, I ...
in the story, with Toyotarō torn between returning to Japan and continuing the development of a modern nation-state, or staying in the
cosmopolitan Cosmopolitan may refer to: Internationalism * World citizen, one who eschews traditional geopolitical divisions derived from national citizenship * Cosmopolitanism, the idea that all of humanity belongs to a single moral community * Cosmopolitan ...
city of Berlin with his lover Elis. The story continues to be regarded as a classic work of modern Japanese literature. Although Mori did little writing from 1892 to 1902, he continued to edit a literary journal (', 1892–1909). He also produced translations of the works of
Goethe Johann Wolfgang (von) Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German polymath who is widely regarded as the most influential writer in the German language. His work has had a wide-ranging influence on Western literature, literary, Polit ...
, Schiller,
Ibsen Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright, poet and actor. Ibsen is considered the world's pre-eminent dramatist of the 19th century and is often referred to as "the father of modern drama." He pioneered ...
,
Hans Christian Andersen Hans Christian Andersen ( , ; 2 April 1805 – 4 August 1875) was a Danish author. Although a prolific writer of plays, travelogue (literature), travelogues, novels, and poems, he is best remembered for his literary fairy tales. Andersen's fai ...
, and
Hauptmann () is an officer rank in the armies of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. It is usually translated as ''captain''. Background While in contemporary German means 'main', it also has, and originally had, the meaning of 'head', i.e. ' literall ...
. It was during the
Russo-Japanese War The Russo-Japanese War (8 February 1904 – 5 September 1905) was fought between the Russian Empire and the Empire of Japan over rival imperial ambitions in Manchuria and the Korean Empire. The major land battles of the war were fought on the ...
(1904–05) that Mori started keeping a poetic diary. After the war, he began holding ''tanka'' writing parties that included several noted poets such as
Yosano Akiko , known by her pen name Yosano Akiko (Shinjitai: , Kyūjitai: , ), was a Japanese author, poet, feminist, pacifist, and social reformer, active in the late Meiji era as well as the Taishō era, Taishō and early Shōwa eras of Japan. She is one ...
. Mori Ōgai helped found a new magazine called ''
Subaru is the automaker, automobile manufacturing division of Japanese transportation conglomerate (company), conglomerate Subaru Corporation (formerly known as Fuji Heavy Industries), the Automotive industry#By manufacturer, twenty-first largest aut ...
'' in 1909 with the help of others such as Yosano Akiko and Yosano Tekkan. His later works can be divided into three separate periods. From 1909 to 1912, he wrote mostly fiction based on his own experiences. This period includes '' Vita Sexualis'' and his most popular novel, , which is set in 1881 Tokyo and was filmed by
Shirō Toyoda was a Japanese film director and screenwriter who directed over 60 films during his career which spanned 50 years. He was denoted for his high-quality adaptations of works of many important twentieth-century Japanese writers. Career Born in Kyo ...
in 1953 as '' The Mistress''. In 1909, he released his novel ''Vita Sexualis'', which was abruptly banned a month later. Authorities deemed his work too sexual and dangerous to public morals. Mori Ōgai, during the period he was writing ''Vita Sexualis'', focused on making a statement regarding the current literary trends of modern Japanese literature. He approached the trend on sexuality and individualism by describing them as a link between body and soul. Ōgai points out problems concerning the art and literature world in the 19th century in his work. His writing style, depicted from the Meiji government's perspective, derived from naturalism and was implemented with his thoughts that were brought up from writers who focused on the truth. Ogai expressed his concern towards the intellectual freedom after
High Treason Incident The , also known as the , was a socialist-anarchist plot to assassinate the Japanese Emperor Meiji in 1910, leading to a mass arrest of leftists, as well as the execution of 12 alleged conspirators in 1911. Another 12 conspirators who were init ...
in 1910 where socialists and anarchists were unfairly executed by the court on suspicion of the assassination of the Japanese Emperor Meiji. Although he was on the side of the government as an elite army doctor, Ogai showed strong concern about the government's suppression of thought and academics, and started to call for freedom of speech. His arguments were embedded in some of his works such as "Chinmoku no to" and "Shokudo". His later works link his concerns with the Ministry of Education regarding the understanding of "intellectual freedom" and how they police and dictate the potential of literature. During the time from 1912 to 1916 saw a shift in his writing work from fictions to historical stories, influenced by the shocking news of Nogi Maresukea's death, a general of the Imperial Japanese Army. In this event, Ōgai saw a revival of pre-modern ritual in the world where the individualism was gradually stemming. While the public opinion quickly labeled Nogi's death as anachronistic, Ōgai, who was closer to Nogi, started the investigation of the spiritual background of his age by narrating the biographies of the past events. The works such as 'Abe Ichizoku' and 'Shibue Chusai' were the byproducts of his approach to the Japanese history. In these historical biographies, Ōgai depicted the men who committed ritual death, ''Junshi'' with a realistic prose. Through these works, Ōgai realized that those people who had to die were, to a certain extent, victims of the long-held practice and social expectation. Why Ōgai was inclined to investigate the history, or in other word, the identity of Japan, was partially because of his personal matter in which he was struggling to take a balance between West and East. Another reason was that he wanted to look back at the Meiji era at the very last time. After "Yasui Fujin" in 1914, his style changed from "history as it is," in which he depicted history as it had been narrated, to "story based on history," in which he somehow added his own arrangements to historical events. Followed by this change, " Shibue Chusai", one of his best known works, was come off. From 1916 to 1921, he turned his attention to biographies of three
Edo period The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...
doctors. Sansho Dayu was an early Japanese work written in the mid 1600s, and Ogai's rewrite of it essentially changed some minor details and the ending, wherein which the bailiff's punishment is not given as much attention as in the original, and it is not so much violent as it is politically appropriate. There are also numerous supernatural elements removed from the original story, making it palatable to a wider audience. Ogai's retelling of Sansho Dayu was made into a film, directed by
Kenji Mizoguchi was a Japanese filmmaker who directed roughly one hundred films during his career between 1923 and 1956. His most acclaimed works include '' The Story of the Last Chrysanthemums'' (1939), '' The Life of Oharu'' (1952), '' Ugetsu'' (1953), and ' ...
(1954).


Legacy

As an author, Mori is considered one of the leading writers of the
Meiji period The was an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868, to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonizatio ...
. In his literary journals, he instituted modern
literary criticism A genre of arts criticism, literary criticism or literary studies is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern literary criticism is often influenced by literary theory, which is the philosophical analysis of literature's ...
in Japan, based on the aesthetic theories of Karl von Hartmann. A house which Mori lived in is preserved in Kokurakita Ward in
Kitakyūshū is a city located in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. As of June 1, 2019, Kitakyushu has an estimated population of 940,978, making it the second-largest city in both Fukuoka Prefecture and the island of Kyushu after the city of Fukuoka. It is one o ...
, not far from Kokura Station. Here he wrote ''Kokura Nikki'' ("Kokura Diary"). His birthhouse is also preserved in Tsuwano. The two one-story houses are remarkably similar in size and in their traditional Japanese style. Because of his biographical works, most notably Shibui Chusai (1916), Ogai is credited to be the pioneer of modern biographical literature in Japanese culture. His daughter Mari, who was nineteen years old at the time of his death, wrote extensively about her relationship with her father. Starting with her 1961 novella, , she wrote tragic stories about love affairs between older men and boys in their late teens which influenced the creation of the ''
Yaoi , also known by its abbreviation , is a genre of fictional media originating in Japan that depicts homoerotic relationships between male characters. It is typically created by women for a female audience, distinguishing it from the equivale ...
'' genre, stories about male-male relationships, written by women for women, that began to appear in the nineteen seventies in Japanese novels and
comics a Media (communication), medium used to express ideas with images, often combined with text or other visual information. It typically the form of a sequence of Panel (comics), panels of images. Textual devices such as speech balloons, Glo ...
. Mori's sister, Kimiko, married Koganei Yoshikiyo. Hoshi Shinichi was one of their grandsons.


Mori Ōgai former residence in Tsuwano

270px, Mori Ōgai birthplace in Tsuwano The house in Tsuwano where Mori Ōgai was born still exists, and is preserved as a memorial museum. This one-story structure has earthen walls and a tile roof. As the Mori family were doctors, the small room to the left of the entrance was a medicine compounding room, and larger room to the back was for seeing patients. The house faces
Nishi Amane was a Japanese philosopher. He studied law and economics in the Netherlands. He became a political advisor to Tokugawa Yoshinobu before and after the Meiji Restoration. He served as a bureaucrat in the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Educati ...
's former residence across the Tsuwano River, and is in a neighborhood called "Yokobori", so named because the outer moat of Tsuwano Castle passed to the side of the residence. Mori Ōgai lived in this building for only 11 years, from his birth until he departed for Tokyo in 1872 and the age of 11. He never returned to Tsuwano or visited this house again; however, in his writings he reminisced that his childhood home was in a compound surrounded by earthen walls and had a gate like a samurai residence. The house was relocated to another location within Tsuwano at one point, but in 1954, on the 33rd anniversary of his death, the town of Tsuwano bought it and restored it to its original site. It was designated as a National Historic Site in 1969. Due to its deterioration, it was dismantled and completely repaired in the fall of 1984.


Honours

''From the Japanese Wikipedia article''


Decorations

* Order of the Golden Kite, 3rd Class (1 April 1906; Fourth Class: 20 September 1895) *Grand Cordon of the
Order of the Sacred Treasure The is a Japanese Order (distinction), order, established on 4 January 1888 by Emperor Meiji as the Order of Meiji. Originally awarded in eight classes (from 8th to 1st, in ascending order of importance), since 2003 it has been awarded in six c ...
(24 April 1915; Third Class: 29 November 1904; Fourth Class: 31 May 1900; Fifth Class: 25 November 1896; Sixth Class: 24 November 1894) *Grand Cordon of the
Order of the Rising Sun The is a Japanese honors system, Japanese order, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji. The Order was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese government, created on 10 April 1875 by decree of the Council of State. The badge feat ...
(7 November 1915; Second Class: 1 April 1906; Sixth Class: 20 September 1895)


Court ranks in the order of precedence

*Seventh rank (February 1882) *Sixth rank (28 December 1891) *Senior sixth rank (16 December 1893) *Fifth rank (15 November 1895) *Senior fifth rank (10 July 1899) *Fourth rank (13 September 1904) *Senior fourth rank (20 October 1909) *Third rank (10 November 1914) *Senior third rank (10 May 1916) *Second rank (9 July 1922; posthumous)


Selected works

* * * * * * * * * * * *


Film adaptations

* '' The Abe Clan'' (1938), directed by Hisatora Kumagai * '' The Wild Geese'' (1953), directed by
Shirō Toyoda was a Japanese film director and screenwriter who directed over 60 films during his career which spanned 50 years. He was denoted for his high-quality adaptations of works of many important twentieth-century Japanese writers. Career Born in Kyo ...
* ''
Sansho the Bailiff is a 1954 Japanese period film directed by Kenji Mizoguchi based on a 1915 short story of the same name by Mori Ōgai (translated as "Sanshō the Steward" in English), which in turn was based on a (oral lore) appearing in written form in the ...
'' (1954), directed by
Kenji Mizoguchi was a Japanese filmmaker who directed roughly one hundred films during his career between 1923 and 1956. His most acclaimed works include '' The Story of the Last Chrysanthemums'' (1939), '' The Life of Oharu'' (1952), '' Ugetsu'' (1953), and ' ...
, is based on a short story by the author and is considered a milestone in Japanese movie history. * '' The Abe Clan'' (1995), directed by
Kinji Fukasaku was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. Known for his "broad range and innovative filmmaking", Fukasaku worked in many different genres and styles, but was best known for his gritty Yakuza film, yakuza films, typified by the Battles With ...


Translations

* ''The Columbia Anthology of Modern Japanese Literature: From Restoration to Occupation, 1868–1945 (Modern Asian Literature Series) (vol. 1)'', ed. J. Thomas Rimer and Van C. Gessel. 2007. Contains "The Dancing Girl," and "Down the Takase River." * ''Modern Japanese Stories: An Anthology'', ed. Ivan Morris. 1961. Rutland, Vt.: Charles E. Tuttle, 1966. Contains "Under Reconstruction." * ''The Historical Fiction of Mori Ôgai'', ed. David A. Dilworth and J. Thomas Rimer. 1977. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1991. A one-volume paperback edition of an earlier two-volume collection of stories. * ''Sansho-Dayu and Other Short Stories'', trans. Tsutomu Fukuda. Tokyo: Hokuseido Press, 1970. * ''Vita Sexualis'', trans. Kazuji Ninomiya and Sanford Goldstein. 1972. Boston: Tuttle Publishing, 200. * ''The Wild Geese'', trans. Ochiai Kingo and Sanford Goldstein. Boston: Tuttle Publishing, 1959. * ''The Wild Goose'', trans. Burton Watson. 1995. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Center for Japanese Studies, 1998. * ''Youth and Other Stories'' (collection of stories), ed. J. Thomas Rimer. 1994. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1995


See also

*
Kokura is an ancient Jōkamachi, castle town and the center of modern Kitakyushu, Japan. Kokura is also the name of the Kokura Station, penultimate station on the southbound San'yō Shinkansen line, which is owned by JR West. Ferries connect Kokura ...
* Takasebune


Further reading

* * Bowring, Richard J. ''Mori Ōgai and the Modernization of Japanese Culture.'' University of Cambridge Oriental Publications 28. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1979. * McClellan, Edwin (1985). ''Woman in the Crested Kimono : The Life of Shibue Io and Her Family Drawn from Mori Ōgai's 'Shibue Chusai. New Haven:
Yale University Press Yale University Press is the university press of Yale University. It was founded in 1908 by George Parmly Day and Clarence Day, grandsons of Benjamin Day, and became a department of Yale University in 1961, but it remains financially and ope ...
. * Salomon, Harald (compiler). ''Mori Ôgai: A Bibliography of Western-Language Materials'' (Volume 10 of Izumi (Series)). Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, 2008. , 9783447058049
See preview at
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. * - Published online on 5 May 2019


References


External links


Mori, Ogai


(
National Diet Library The is the national library of Japan and among the largest libraries in the world. It was established in 1948 for the purpose of assisting members of the in researching matters of public policy. The library is similar in purpose and scope to ...
)
e-texts of Mori Ōgai 's works
at
Aozora bunko Aozora Bunko (, , also known as the "Open Air Library") is a Japanese digital library. This online collection encompasses several thousand works of Japanese-language fiction and non-fiction. These include out-of-copyright books or works that t ...

Ogai Mori's grave
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mori, Ogai 1862 births 1922 deaths Infectious disease deaths in Japan Japanese dramatists and playwrights Japanese generals Japanese literary critics Japanese medical writers Japanese male short story writers Japanese translators Japanese military doctors Japanese male novelists Members of the Japan Art Academy People from Kitakyushu People of the Meiji era Japanese military personnel of the First Sino-Japanese War Japanese military personnel of the Russo-Japanese War Recipients of the Order of the Golden Kite University of Tokyo alumni Japanese expatriates in Germany 19th-century Japanese poets 20th-century Japanese poets 20th-century Japanese novelists 19th-century Japanese novelists 19th-century Japanese short story writers 20th-century Japanese short story writers Translators of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Writers from Shimane Prefecture 19th-century pseudonymous writers 20th-century pseudonymous writers Scientists from Shimane Prefecture